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Tigers trio honored for outstanding 2011

Tigers trio honored for outstanding 2011

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Verlander on Player of the Year 2:54

Tigers ace Justin Verlander talks about winning Player of the Year as a pitcher and what he will do with the charity prize money

By Jason Beck
/
MLB.com |

DETROIT -- The Tigers finished the regular season with their first American League pitching Triple Crown winner since 1945, their second batting champion since 1961, and the closer with the third-best perfect season in save opportunities since the stat was first recognized and tracked.

That followed their first player voted into the starting lineup at an All-Star Game since 2007. It seemed likely they were going to get some recognition during the awards season.

A trio of Tigers have taken team honors, with ace Justin Verlander earning Pitcher of the Year, Miguel Cabrera the Player of the Year and Alex Avila earning Breakout Player of the Year honors. As selected by MLB.com, awards have been designated in the three categories for each of the 30 teams.

Verlander also became the first pitcher in nearly 20 years to earn a Most Valuable Player Award, earning that honor in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He also claimed the AL's Cy Young Award, making him only the second player in baseball history to win an MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Award in his career.

"Not even in my wildest dreams had I thought of this," Verlander said. "I want to say this is a dream come true. I can't say that, because my dream had already come true -- to win the Cy Young. The next dream is to win a World Series. This wasn't even on my radar."

Verlander also became just the second pitcher to capture Player of the Year honors as part of the MLB Players Association's annual Players Choice Awards, a recognition by his peers of just how much of an impact he had on the Tigers and their fortunes. He paired that up with AL Pitcher of the Year honors as well, pulling off the same twin killing he had with the Sporting News' annual awards -- also decided by player balloting -- in October.

"Coming from your peers makes it all the more special," Verlander said. "I think with all the talk about, 'Should a pitcher be able to win MVP or a top player award?' -- I think it shows a lot of support for my fellow players to be able to vote me for that. I think it means a lot. When it comes from your peers, the guys you're playing with, the guys you're playing against, it's special."

Verlander topped all AL pitchers with 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts, becoming the first AL hurler to do that since Johan Santana in 2006, and the first Tigers pitcher since Hal Newhouser in 1945. No AL pitcher had won that many games in a season since Bob Welch notched 27 victories for the 1990 powerhouse Oakland Athletics. No Major League pitcher had posted that combination of strong Triple Crown stats in the same season since Randy Johnson in 2002, and no AL pitcher since Vida Blue in 1971.

Verlander also led AL pitchers with 251 innings, a .192 opponents' batting average and a 0.92 WHIP ratio.

The Tigers were 25-9 in games Verlander started, including five wins when scoring three runs or fewer. They were 70-58 in games started by everyone else, and won 14 of those games scoring fewer than three runs.

Verlander might have won Player of the Year honors from MLB.com in its first team awards, but the rules delineate pitchers from hitters. Instead, that went to Cabrera, whose MVP-caliber season unfolded rather quietly before a late charge gave him a .344 average, 30 home runs, 105 RBIs and 1.033 OPS. He was again the heart of the Tigers' offense, as he has been since his arrival in 2008.

Cabrera finished fifth in MVP voting.

While Verlander was the obvious choice to capture the club's Pitcher of the Year honors, his battery mate, All-Star catcher Avila, took the Tigers' Breakout Player of the Year honors -- a testament to the production he assembled in his first season as an everyday player.

Avila was the best young catcher in the AL, as evidenced by his spot on The Sporting News AL All-Star team in October, as voted on by players.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland finished second to Rays skipper Joe Maddon in balloting for the AL Manager of the Year.

National Awards

MVP

Cy Young

Rookie of the Year

Mickey Cochrane

1934

Denny McLain

1968

Harvey Kuenn

1953

Hank Greenberg

1935

Denny McLain

1969

Mark Fidrych

1976

Charlie Gehringer

1937

Willie Hernandez

1984

Lou Whitaker

1978

Hank Greenberg

1940

Justin Verlander

2006

Hal Newhauser

1944

Hal Newhauser

1945

Denny McLain

1968

Willie Hernandez

1984

Triple Crown

Manager of the Year

Relief Man

Ty Cobb

1909

Sparky Anderson

1984

Todd Jones

2000

Hal Newhouser

1945

Sparky Anderson

1987

Jim Leyland

2006

ALCS MVP

World Series MVP

Roberto Clemente Award

Kirk Gibson

1984

Mickey Lolich

1968

Al Kaline

1973

Alan Trammell

1984

Rawlings Gold Glove

Silver Slugger

Hutch Award

Al Kaline, OF

1957

Lance Parrish, C

1980

Al Kaline

1969

Al Kaline, OF

1958

Lance Parrish, C

1982

John Hiller

1973

Frank Boling, 2B

1958

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1982

Al Kaline, OF

1959

Lance Parrish, C

1983

Al Kaline, OF

1961

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1983

Frank Lary, P

1961

Lance Parrish, C

1984

Al Kaline, OF

1962

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1984

Al Kaline, OF

1963

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1985

Al Kaline, OF

1964

Lance Parrish, C

1986

Al Kaline, OF

1965

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1987

Bill Freehan, C

1965

Matt Nokes, C

1987

Al Kaline, OF

1966

Alan Trammell, SS

1987

Bill Freehan, C

1966

Alan Trammell, SS

1988

Al Kaline, OF

1967

Alan Trammell, SS

1990

Bill Freehan, C

1967

Cecil Fielder, 1B

1990

Bill Freehan, C

1968

Cecil Fielder, 1B

1991

Mickey Stanley, OF

1968

Mickey Tettleton, C

1991

Bill Freehan, C

1969

Mickey Tettleton, C

1992

Mickey Stanley, OF

1969

Travis Fryman, SS

1992

Mickey Stanley, OF

1970

Damion Easley, 2B

1998

Ed Brinkman, SS

1972

Dean Palmer, 3B

1999

Mickey Stanley, OF

1973

Ivan Rodriguez, C

2004

Aurelio Rodriguez, 3B

1976

Placido Polanco, 2B

2007

Alan Trammell, SS

1980

Magglio Ordonez, OF

2007

Alan Trammell, SS

1981

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1982

Lance Parrish, C

1983

Alan Trammell, SS

1983

Alan Trammell, SS

1984

Lou Whitaker, 2B

1984

Lance Parrish, C

1984

Lance Parrish, C

1985

Gary Pettis, OF

1988

Gary Pettis, OF

1989

Ivan Rodriguez, C

2004

Ivan Rodriguez, C

2006

Kenny Rogers

2006

Placido Polanco, 2B

2007

Placido Polanco, 2B

2009

Local Awards

Tiger of the Year

Selected by Detroit BBWAA chapter

Don Wert

1965

Denny McLain

1966

Bill Freehan

1967

Denny McLain

1968

Denny McLain

1969

Tom Timmerman

1970

Mickey Lolich

1971

Ed Brinkman

1972

John Hiller

1973

Al Kaline

1974

Willie Horton

1975

Mark Fidrych

1976

Ron LeFlore

1977

Ron LeFlore

1978

Steve Kemp

1979

Alan Trammell

1980

Kirk Gibson

1981

Lance Parrish

1982

Lou Whitaker

1983

Willie Hernandez

1984

Darrell Evans

1985

Jack Morris

1986

Alan Trammell

1987

Alan Trammell

1988

Lou Whitaker

1989

Cecil Fielder

1990

Cecil Fielder

1991

Cecil Fielder

1992

Tony Phillips

1993

Kirk Gibson

1994

Travis Fryman

1995

Travis Fryman

1996

Tony Clark, Bobby Higginson

1997

Damion Easley

1998

Dean Palmer

1999

Bobby Higginson

2000

Steve Sparks

2001

Randall Simon

2002

Dmitri Young

2003

Ivan Rodriguez

2004

Placido Polanco

2005

Carlos Guillen

2006

Magglio Ordonez

2007

Miguel Cabrera

2008

Justin Verlander

2009

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.